1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to therapeutic machinery and, more particularly, to an apparatus for stretching the leg muscles of a subject.
2. Description of the Related Art
The desirability of having flexible muscles is well documented. The flexibility of a muscle typically is proportional to the strength or power of the muscle. As the relative flexibility of a person's muscles increases, the likelihood of injury to the person from day-to-day activities is correspondingly reduced. Increased muscular flexibility additionally provides for pain reduction and an increased range of motion, all of which are desirable.
A typical muscle includes layers of muscle tissue and layers of fascia tissue, with lubrication typically being provided between adjacent layers of muscle tissue and fascia tissue. As tissue ages, the tissue tends to shrink, i.e., shorten, and layers of muscle tissue can become adhered to adjacent layers of fascia tissue. That is, the lubrication between muscle tissue and adjacent fascia tissue can disappear, and the muscle tissue can, in effect, become fascia tissue. This is undesirable. Muscle tissue that has become fascia tissue cannot be stretched and cannot function as muscle tissue, and such gradual transformation of muscle tissue into fascia tissue is preferably avoided or at least slowed.
It is understood that stretching of muscles promotes flexibility by, for instance, increasing the degree of lubrication between muscle tissue and adjacent fascia tissue. Stretching also resists the transformation of muscle tissue into fascia tissue. Stretching is thus therapeutically desirable. However, many people's muscles are in a condition of being inadequately stretched, with resultant pain, loss of motion, and increased likelihood of injury. Some people do not perform any stretching exercises whatsoever. For other people, the stretching exercises performed may be inadequate or may be non-optimized, with the result that their muscles are inadequately stretched and of an undesirably low degree of flexibility. It thus would be desirable to provide an improved apparatus and method that can provide therapeutic stretching to enhance muscular flexibility and overall health of a subject.
It is also known that an excessive flare angle between the feet is undesirable. An excessive flare can cause difficulty in walking and accelerated degradation of the leg joints, particularly the hip joint, since the head of the femur often cannot sit properly in the acetabulum. Moreover, stretching of the leg muscles of a subject having an excessive foot flare often cannot be accomplished with a great degree of success since the leg muscles become misaligned with the leg joints during a stretch. That is, the muscles are not stretched over the leg joints and rather are stretched at least partially at the sides of the leg joints, with the result that the muscles cannot be adequately stretched. It thus would be desirable to provide an improved apparatus and method that can provide therapeutic stretching while at least partially overcoming the limitations resulting from an excessive foot flare.